The First 67-Day "Longitudinal" World Explorer Cruise From The Arctic To Antarctica

**Ally** · 05-11-2007, 01:40 PM

Norwegian Coastal Voyage's has introduced a 67-day "Longitudinal World Explorer Cruise" making its way from pole to pole. Guests aboard the company's new expedition ship, the 318-passenger MS Fram, begin their adventure in Iceland, take in the advent of the October Fall foliage season from the northern reaches of Canada to New England and down the U.S.'s eastern seaboard, spend time soaking in the warm, sunny weather and tropical waters of the Caribbean, transit the Panama Canal - and then skip to Spring as the ship crosses the Equator and makes it way along the western shores of South America to Antarctica and the Chilean Fjords.

The 17-country, four-continent expedition takes in 44 ports of call, ranging from the smaller and more unusual such as Arica, Chile, to many firsts for the company, such as New York City and Boston, and offers 102 optional shore excursions. Departing Reykjavik, September 18, The MS Fram arrives in Ushuaia, Argentina on November 23. Full-cruise rates are $10,999 to $39,999 per person, double; segments from 8 to 52 nights are offered at prices of $2,499 to $25,599, and include departures from New York and Port Canaveral to Peru, Chile or Argentina. Rates include selected cabin category, all meals on board and lectures by experts and naturalist guides.

"Norwegian Coastal Voyage is uniquely positioned to offer this exclusive voyage of discovery -- combining our company's extensive experience in expedition cruising, a purpose-built luxury expedition cruise ship, an experienced crew very familiar with the unique ports you'll visit on this journey, well-thought through shore excursions and experts and lecture sessions on the more remote destinations such as Antarctica" says Hans Rood, president of Norwegian Coastal Voyage.

Upon stepping aboard the new 160-stateroom MS Fram, the world's newest and most deluxe expedition ship, guests will take up residency and embark on an odyssey of experiences - Nova Scotia and New England at the peak of the autumn foliage, the turquoise waters and white sand beaches of Caribbean islands, an eye-level view of the "mules" and canal operation during the Panama Canal transit, the archaeological sites of Peru and penguins in Antarctica are just a fraction of the possibilities. Optional excursions run the gamut - an eight-hour exploration of Iceland's thermal activity; an Irish pub; bicycle tour of Nova Scotia's rugged coastline; lunch with an astronaut at Kennedy Space Center; cave tubing in Belize; dolphin encounters; tour of a banana processing plant; cave exploration in Panama; visit to Chilean ghost town; fly fishing in a forest preserve; and the highlight, at no charge, the incredible vista, icebergs, penguins and other wildlife in Antarctica.

Guests will be hard-pressed to find a greater variety of seasons and scenery or uniqueness of ports of call, many that larger cruise ships cannot visit, on any other single itinerary. Most calls are nine to 12 hours in length, plenty of time for independent exploration or tours. The ship's size makes it easy to dock in the center of many of these towns and cities with easy on/off capability. And for those unusual ports of call where docking is not offered, the MS Fram offers landings with comfortable PolarCirkel tenders specifically designed to visit off-the-beaten-track destinations.

Countries with port calls include Iceland, Scotland, Ireland, U.K., Canada, U.S., Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Antarctica and Argentina.

The 12,700-ton eight-deck ship, the first cruise ship built exclusively for sailing in the challenging maritime environment of Greenland from May through September, makes significant use of that country's culture as inspiration for design while incorporating a striking Scandinavian feel with the extensive use of wool, leather and oak. Cabins are stylish and comfortable; a variety of suites and junior suites offer queen-size beds and TVs. The ship also boasts excellent conference and meeting facilities, an Internet café, a large glass-enclosed observation salon offering panoramic views of the outside scenery, restaurant with ocean views, wellness center with saunas, work-out room and two glass-screened heated outdoor whirlpools.

Information, brochures and reservations can be obtained from Norwegian Coastal Voyage Inc., (800) 323-7436 or (212) 319-1300; fax (212) 319-1390; for brochures (800) 666-2374, 24 hours a day; Norwegian Cruise | Vacation | Lines